Patients’ Own Fat Tissue Can Help Treat Joint Problems

Body fat now can help treat bone joint conditions, including injuries and osteoarthritis — the type of arthritis caused by wear and tear in tissue between joints, which affects 27 million people. A new device gently suctions, processes and uses a patient’s own fat tissue to provide a potential source of stem cells and growth factors to promote healing.

Orthopedic physicians at Rush University Medical Center are the first sports medicine specialists in the Midwest to offer treatment with the device, called Lipogems, used at the time of arthroscopic surgery. The FDA approved Lipogems for widespread use in November of 2016.

“The technology is ideal for patients with certain orthopedic conditions, such as painful joints — including the knee, ankle or shoulder — with limited range of motion. Additionally, it can be used in soft tissue defects located in tendons, ligaments and/or muscles to improve the biologic environment,” said Dr. Brian Cole, professor of orthopedic surgery and section head of the Rush Cartilage Restoration Center at Rush University Medical Center.

“Fat has long been used for support of tissue repair and replacement,” Cole said. “Fat has the ability to be a source of important cells which produce important proteins involved with healing and reduction in inflammation.” The Lipogems system liposuctions fat cells from the abdomen or thigh while the patient is sedated with a local anesthetic.

The Lipogem procedure rinses and cleans inflammatory oils and blood from the harvested fat and keeps the natural and beneficial properties of the fat tissue, which is injected into the injured site. The entire procedure from harvesting to the injection is completed in less than 30 minutes.

The fat tissue tends to remain in the area where it is injected instead of being immediately reabsorbed by the body, allowing the body to maximize the benefits of the injection for an extended period of time. Following injection, the tissue promotes healing and symptom reduction as early as three weeks after treatment.

A growth-driven and strategic executive, Peter Coffaro commands more than 20 years of progressive management success within the medical device industry. As a District Sales Manager for Stryker Orthopaedics, Peter was responsible for managing and directing a regional sales force to achieve sales and profit goals within the Rocky Mountain region. Previously, he was the Director of Sales & Marketing for Amp Orthopedics. In this role, Peter was responsible for planning, developing, and leading all sales and marketing initiatives. Peter is a former orthopedic distributor in the Pacific Northwest. He has also worked with DePuy Orthopaedics as well as Zimmer, and held positions in sales, sales training, and sales management. Peter has an extensive background in organizational development, business development, sales management, negotiating and P&L management. Peter holds a B.S. degree in Biology from Northern Illinois University.

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